Guaido rallies Venezuelans amid blackout

Vivian Sequera and Tibisay Romero

AAP

Thursday, 28 March 2019 6:22 am

Venezuela is dealing with another major blackout as the political crisis in the country continues.Image: AAP

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has called on his supporters to take to the streets this weekend in protest of a major nationwide blackout that has left millions without power for three straight days.

Residents scrambled to find food and water as businesses closed and school was cancelled in the second major blackout this month.

Power went out in much of the country on Monday afternoon, less than two weeks after electricity was restored following the worst blackout in Venezuela's history.

"The time has come to agitate in every state, in every community, to get water back, get electricity back, get gas back," said Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly who invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January. He argued President Nicolas Maduro's May 2018 re-election was illegitimate.

He said the protest was scheduled for Saturday, without offering further details.

The ruling Socialist Party accuses the US government of sabotaging its electricity network, though Guaido and opposition critics have said the outages are the result of a decade of corruption and mismanagement.

Power had returned to around half the country's 24 states on Tuesday night but went out again at dawn on Wednesday. While blackouts have long been common in the OPEC nation, particularly outside of capital Caracas, their increasing frequency and severity have left residents concerned that intermittent power may be the new normal.

"I think this is going to be worse than the first blackout," said Julio Barrios, 60, an accountant in Caracas who was looking for open stores to buy food or ice. "A lot of people want to work but there's no transportation, and if there's nobody working, the country will be paralysed."

In the western agriculture-heavy state of Tachira, more than 100,000 litres of milk spoiled after 40 hours without electricity for refrigeration, according to Leonardo Figueroa, the head of the state ranchers' association.

In Valencia, Venezuela's third-largest city, residents without electricity or gas in their homes cut wood off trees to cook food before it rotted.

"I am searching for wood because there is no gas in this oil-producing country, there are no public services," said Morris de Castro, a lawyer. "It is impossible to live a normal life and we feel like we are falling backwards."

Guaido has been recognised as Venezuela's rightful leader by most Western and South American countries, and the United States has hit Maduro's government with sanctions meant to cripple the Socialist Party's sources of income.

But Maduro has held on thanks to continued loyalty from top military commanders and diplomatic support from Russia and China, who accuse the US of seeking a coup against him.

While hosting Guaido's wife, journalist Fabiana Rosales, in the White House on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said "Russia has to get out" and that "all options are open" as to how to make that happen.

Russia has said the visit is part of a military technical co-operation agreement with Venezuela..